This is one of Matt’s early character sketches for Thomas Woodwind, who is quite the piece of work…

Here’s Warren’s character notes from an early treatment:

THOMAS WOODWIND: I’m seeing a man of six feet or so, quite lean, with a good Patrick Stewart-ish skull fuzzed with very short pale hair. Paranoid eyes. Tending to very long black coats, probably with poacher’s pockets sewn on the inside. A bluetooth earpiece cupping each ear, with front facing limbs (where the IR LEDS are). Also wears black gloves, I think – no fingerprints, reduction of epithelials.

Like I say – a piece of work all in all. He’s a classic Ellis character, with a mind like a steel-trap and a sharp tongue to match. He also makes Jason Bourne look like he’s trying too hard…

We’ll have some more news about the project likely next week, but I also want to point you at the site we’ve built where SVK will live. There’s not a lot there yet… but for now you can sign up for news about SVK’s release at getsvk.com

So, we were thrilled when he said yes earlier this year to Jack’s proposal of working together on a storytelling project.

The result, coming in early 2011, is SVK.

What is SVK?
It’s going to be a very beautifully-printed object – a graphic novella, drawn by one of our very favourite artists – Matt “D’Israeli” Brooker – who Warren collaborated with on “Lazarus Churchyard” back in 1991. I think I’m right in saying it’s their first major collaboration since then…

We can’t tell you too much more just yet, as they are both currently hard at work on it, but Warren describes SVK as “Franz Kafka’s Bourne Identity”.

Brilliant.

It’s also a story about looking, and it’s an investigation into perception, storytelling and optical experimentation that inherits some of the curiosities behind previous work of the studio such as our Here & There maps of Manhattan.

For us – it’s also an investigation into new ways to get things out in the world, and as a result we’re talking about SVK now because we’re looking for people, brands and companies who would like to be in the SVK project…

Looking for advertisers
There are going to be a small number of opportunities to feature advertising – which will be as inventive as the story itself. We’re talking to people now, so that we can go to print with them in February 2011.